Pica8 just announced a new software-defined networking solution for cloud service providers, the Pica8 Open Data Center Framework. The Palo Alto-based startup pegs its latest offering as a suite of “essential building blocks” for programmable center networks – it features support for OpenFlow 1.2 and Open vSwitch.

“For many, utilizing SDN in their data center represents the future. And the proof in the proverbial pudding will be when managers can centrally define the application flows as needed so that applications run faster and more efficiently,” said Brad Casemore Research Director, Datacenter Networks at IDC. “Pica8  is seeking to address this challenge, looking to provide IT shops with reduced operating costs while offering network managers greater control and flexibility.”

Pica8 says that its framework enables customers to abstract the OS from the hardware and customize the former to accommodate their specific use cases.  This allows users to substitute legacy infrastructure with affordable and efficient commodity switches in a rip-and-replace fashion, similar to how things are done on the server side.

The fact that OpenFlow v.12 and Open vSwitch are included in the package brings several additional features to the table, including Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) tunneling for overlays, network taps that ensure application flow performance, and optimizations that improve the  utilization of network resources.

Pica8 is a relatively new player in the SDN space. The company only exited stealth mode in December last year, when it launched a proprietary physical network device built to work with open-source networking solutions such as OVS and NTT Labs’ Ryu controller. The startup spun out of server maker Quanta earlier in 2012, and it has raised $6.6 million in funding to date.